Creating Seed Coat Catalog Using Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

As a non-destructive method, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) has already been adapted to study seed samples. SD-OCT provides a set of capabilities in terms of millimetre-scale penetration depth, high-speed acquisition, and resolution typically in the range of ten microns. It has been therefore gaining popularity in this specific field. However, only a limited number of seed cultivars have been investigated with OCT so far, and there has been little discussions about the applicability of the OCT to other seed varieties. In this work, we report the measurement of 14 types of seed using OCT system. It was found that OCT can provide high-resolution cross-sectional images of 12 out of 14 seed types. This work represents the first systematic study towards a seed catalog which provides the essential information about the applicability of OCT for studying a variety.